The Best Place on Earth
by lilsasa137
Summary: Melisa Song has been to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. She finally is sent to Hogwarts where she hopes to cope with her surroundings and make new friends. She also hopes to figure out all the secrets of her broken past. Read, Review, and find out. Ch.4 is up
1. Journey to Hogwarts

Melisa Song was a 14 year old girl who went to Beauxbatons Academy to learn magic. She lived with her mother and aunt in a small house in Paris, France and hardly spoke any French. Her mother wanted to get away from Bulgaria so she had to move. She had been going to Durmstrang for 3 years and had made friends that she didn't quite like. She was raised in England, but moved to Bulgaris when she was 11 for reasons she didn't know. Though she spoke choppy Bulgarian, she could communicate. All her friends had their noses absorbed in the dark arts and nothing else. Melisa's favorite subject was Transfiguration. She wasn't very keen on moving to France , but then again getting away from Durmstrang was a great relief. Since she had moved over the summer she had no idea what Beauxbatons would be like so she kept her head high imagining a great school where everyone was friendly and welcomed her into her fourth year like she had been there since year one. Summer wasn't that much of a relief since she had to learn French in three months so she could communicate with the other students and teachers. But it was May and she was failing all her subjects including transfiguration.

"But mom they talk to fast!" said Melisa for the one thousandth time. She was failing all her subjects and her mom was having another row with her.

"Obviously you don't try hard enough! Your teachers have sent homework in English to help you and your still failing every subject!"

"It's not my fault I don't know how to do it because they teach it in French!"

"Alright! That's it! I can't take it your going to Hogwarts!"

"Well it's not-what? I'm going where?"

"Hogwarts. The third school of witchcraft and wizardry. You're leaving once term ends. The sooner the better. I can't take this." And so Melisa Song found herself packing up again at the end of the summer to go to Hogwarts. She wouldn't see her mom or aunt until Christmas. At least that would give her some time to cool down.

"Bye Lisa I'll miss you! Send me loads of owls and tell me how school is going! Bye now!" Her mom had a long drive ahead of her to get back to France.

Melisa boarded the Hogwarts Express and looked for an empty compartment so she could sit and cry. She missed her mom and aunt already. Don't think about that it's only going to make you cry, she thought to herself as a small tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheek. She placed her owl beside her and gave it some owl treats from the box. She stroked her owl and put it the top compartment of her train cabin. Just then 3 boys walked into her cabin. They each had on a Hogwarts robe with a patch on it that said 'Slytherin' and had a silver snake on it. One boy had sleek blonde hair that was pushed back. He had hazel eyes and a mean look to him. The other two looked stupid though others would be stupid to pick a fight with them because they were easily going to win. They were both very muscular but looked to stupid to even transfigure a tea bag.

"So you're the girl who got kicked out of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons?" he asked with a sneer.

"No, I'm not," she snapped back "and who are you?"

"Malfoy," he answered "Draco Malfoy, this is Crabbe and Goyle," he said indicating to the two thugs behind him, "and you?"

"Melisa Song," she whispered.

"Well what house do you want to be in?" He asked her, not even bothering to say hello and that he was sorry for barging into her train compartment.

"Umm well….," she said looking at his badge and wondering if he would get upset and insult her if she didn't say Slytherin. "Gryffindor sounds nice," she mumbled.

"Gryffindor! HA! That's the worst house you could ever be in!"

"Oh really Malfoy?" asked a voice unfamiliar to Melisa. All of a sudden 2 boys and one girl walked into her train cabin. The boy who had spoken had untidy black hair and glasses. Melisa recognized him at once as Harry Potter and her eyes flew up to his scar. The other boy was tall, had red hair, and freckles. The girl was a bit shorter that the other two and had bushy brown hair and slightly larger than average front teeth.

"Leave her alone Malfoy or else I'll curse you into oblivion!" The girl pulled out her wand and pointed it right into Malfoy's face. Malfoy gave them each a penetrating look and walked out of the cabin followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Thanks," said Melisa looking over at the three people who had saved her from Malfoy.

"Anytime," said the boy with the red hair "I'm Ron by the way, Ron Weasley. This is Harry Potter and this-"

"-is Hermione Granger," said Hermione cutting him off "Malfoy is the evilest slimiest git around so you don't want to go making friends with him unless you want trouble and for the rest of the school, except the Slytherins of course, to hate you." Hermione said this all extremely fast, leaving a very confused Melisa. But one message was clear. Malfoy means trouble. So Melisa made a mental note to stay away from that 'Malfoy character'.

"What's your name anyway?" asked Harry.

"Oh, sorry," she said forgetting to give her name at the beginning. "Melisa Song, I'm new and I'm starting fifth year. I never came here before. I'm originally from here but my dad got transferred to Bulgaria when I was 11 so I started at Durmstrang. During my third year m-my dad he-he d-died and…..," oh no here come the tears she thought. But she couldn't stop them now. They came spilling out like an overflowed water tank. Hermione conjured up a tissue, and Melisa gave her a watery smile.

"You don't have to continue," said Hermione with a comforting smile.

"No th-that's ok I want to. It feels better to talk about it. I've kept it to myself for so long. It feels better. Anyway after my dad died my mom I guess couldn't take it so my aunt came to live with us and we moved to France to start over fresh. I attended Beauxbatons but I did so horribly that my mom sent me here," Melisa chuckled a bit while the others laughed.

"Why did you do so badly?" asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione in unison.

"Well I tried but I just couldn't learn French in time. I only had three months, you know. But I think I know the basics. The professors talked to fast, and even though they gave me homework in English I still couldn't do it because they taught the lesson in French! Of course my mother thought I wasn't trying my hardest even though I was." Ron muttered something that sounded like 'mothers' but they all laughed. Ron continued talking.

"Yeah, and my mom is worse. Everything that the twins do is always my fault. And if they ever quit school before the year is over it'll be my fault too. Also if they-"

"Alright Ron we know how unfairly you mom treats you. But you really should try to stop your brothers-"

"Knew you'd say that," said Ron smiling at Harry and Melisa.

"We have arrived Miss Song." said Professor McGonagall walking into their train compartment. "If you three could please let us have some time alone so she could be sorted, that would be greatly appreciated."

"Oh, but can they please stay professor? They're my friends!" Melisa gave Professor McGonagall a pleading look.

"Alright Miss Song, but don't think I'll be this flexible in class." Professor McGonagall said.

"Yes ma'am." Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on Melisa's head and waited for the result.

"Well, well, well what have we here?" The sorting hat said. Melisa looked at Ron, Hermione, and Harry to see if they could hear it. They made no notice to the sorting hat's words, so she assumed they could not. "No dear, they can't hear me," the soring hat said, "but you can. Now let me think. Which house to put you in? Not Slytherin huh? Same thing Harry Potter said when he first placed the sorting hat on his head. Let's have a look see in your head. Hmmmmmm...plenty of brain power...a dash of cunning...a heap of courage...let me think. Maybe...GRYFFINDOR! The hat shouted the last word out so loudly the glass on the compartment door shook. Harry, Ron, and Hermione let out a shout of joy. Even Profesor McGonagall smiled.

"Well Miss Song I hope to see you bright and early tomorrow morning in my class. Untill then I'm sure Harry and Hermione will make you feel right at home. Good evening." Professor McGonagall picked up the sorting hat and swept out of the train compartment.

"C'mon Melisa I'll show you the way," said Hermione. "It really is great that you got into Gryffindor, you know. I didn't want to tell you this in case you got placed into a different house, but Gryffindor is the best. Even the Headmaster Dumbledore was in it when he was in Hogwarts. And I read in Hogwarts, A History that Gryffindor-""Hermione no one exept you in the whole school has read half the books you have, espeially if they are half my weight. Like Hogwarts, A History." Ron said rolling his eyes.

"Ron that statement clearly proves that you have never even seen the book, much less picked it up. Hogwarts, A History is exactly 975 pages and weighs about 20 pounds. Unless you weigh 40 pounds, which you don't, you shouldn't go around shooting off your mouth and saying things that you have no idea are true or not." Hermione said giving Ron an evil glare.

"You'll get used to it." Harry said to Melisa. "They argue all the time. No use trying to stop it." Harry watched as Ron and Hermione bickered in the background.

The four finally found an empty carrige and climbed inside. They rode in silence for the time it took to get to the castle. Finally Melisa broke the ice.

"Wow. It sure is beautiful. Look at the lake. And the windows. And the castle itself!"

"Denis Creevy, Colin's brother, fell in once. The giant squid pushed him out." Harry pointed to the boats of first years gliding across the lake.

"There's a giant squid in there?" Melisa shreiked making Ron jump and nearly drop Pig on the floor. Pig hooted noisily and flapped around in the cage.

"Yes," said Hermione, "sometimes in the summer, you can see it stretching its tentacles."

"Wow," said Melisa as the carriges came to an abrupt stop. Everyone climbed out and started walking up the Hogwarts steps. In the pouring rain.

"I could have jumped in the lake!" Lavender cried as she wiped her eyes and hands dry without sucess. "After all, I'd be drier!" Melisa laughed at Lavender. She couldn't understand why others didn't like the rain. She had always loved it. Just like her dad. She threw her hands up in the air and twirled around. She then put her head back and drank in the cool, clear raindrops. Hermione pulled Melisa into the hallway as they entered the castle. Professor McGonagall called out to the crowd.

"Melisa Song? Miss Song? Where are you?"

"Here Professor! I'm right here!"

"Good. Silence students! Silence!" A hush fell over the crowd. "This is Melisa Song. She is new this year and will be starting in the fifth year. I'm sure you all will treat her like she has been here the whole time. Now, let us all proceed into the great hall to enjoy the-" CRACK. The falling of a giant water balloon cut Professor McGonagall's speech short.

"PEEVES!" Screamed all the students.

"Peeves! Get out of here at once!" Professor McGonagall said as she wiped wet hair off her face. All the girls screamed and ran into the Great Hall followed by the boys as Peeves emptied his stash of water balloons by throwing them out into the crowd.

Finally everyone got in to the Great Hall and sat down, wet or dry (mostly wet) and sat down at their appointed table. Melisa sat at the Gryffindor table between Hermione and Dean Thomas. Harry and Ron sat across from them. Professor McGonagall could be seen leading in the first years. Then the sorting began.

"ABRAHAM JOSHUA!" Professor McGonagall called.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. Every Gryffindor including Melisa applauded.

"ADAMS JANELLE!" Professor McGonagall shouted.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted. This time the Ravenclaw table applauded. Melisa soon got bored of watching first years get sorted and sit down. Apparently, so did Ron and Harry. Ron pulled out a feather from his pocket and set it on the table. He then blew it to Harry who had made a goalpost with his fingers.

"Missed," Harry whispered. Melisa then copied Harry and made a goalpost with her fingers for Ron to shoot in. After a couple of minutes of playing Melisa got bored again.

"I have an idea," she said. he set the feather down on the table and murmured and incantation. The feather went shooting across the table and hit a first year in the head. Melisa, Ron, and Harry quickly looked away and tried to surpress giggles. After another few minutes of 'hit and look away' the sorting ended and the last student (Zven Matthew) sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Dumbledore stood up and started his welcoming speech.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. To our new faces welcome! To our old faces, welcome back! I have the pleasure of introducing you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Vimpare!" A tall pale man wearing all black sauntered into the room and sat down at the teacher's table in front of the Great Hall. He had jet black hair that was cut very short. His eyes were a steel gray that seemed to hold a dark mysterious secret. He sipped at his goblet and smiled at the students. There was a very short and choppy applause. "Well now that everyone is introduced I think it's quite fitting to say that the Forbidden Forest is as always forbbidden. Mr.Filch has added some more rules to his list, and if anyone wishes to view them, you know where to go. Now the moment you've all been waiting for. Dig in!" Dumbledore smiled at his students.

"Finally!" Ron grabbed as much food as he could have on his plate.

"Ron you are such a pig." Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Ffanks." Ron splattered Hermione with mashed potatoes and gravy. Melissa watched the scenario and laughed. She took in all the events that had happened that day. She closed her eyes and sighed. All of a sudden she felt a feather hit her in the back of the head. Melisa opened her eyes and saw Ron and Harry pointed to each other with malice and mashed potatoes all over their faces. She threw back her head and laughed like crazy. This, she thought, was the best place on earth.


	2. Dreams

"Wow this place is huge! Check out those moving staircases!" Melisa looked around in awe. "That is so cool! I could play on these for hours!" She looked around at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were staring at her. "Not that I would or anything. Just a thought..." Her sentence hung in the air like a bad odor. They walked the rest of the way in an awkward silence, each one thinking how much they had wanted to play on the staircases in their first year. Melisa, however, was thinking how much of a fool she looked in front of her new friends. When they got to the dormitories Harry couldn't take it anymore. He burst out laughing along with Ron and Hermione.

"That's not funny! Stop laughing at me. It's not my fault I say what I think before I think about it!" Melisa pondered the meaning of her sentence for a while.

"It's not that Melisa, it's just that our first year we couldn't help thinking how much we wanted to play on the staircases. When we finally got on the staircases we had a very um...unpleasant encounter with a 3 headed dog named Fluffy. It wasn't funny then of course, but now when you look back on it...," Hermione laughed.

"Well we'll see you girls in the morning. I'm tired." Ron yawned and walked toward the girls dormitories.

"Wrong way Ron," Hermione said as she pushed him away from the girls staircase.

"Aww you caught me." Ron smiled and walked with Harry to the boys dorm. The girls walked toward their dorm and climbed the stairs. They walked in. Melisa flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes. She was so tired. She thought about all that had happened and smiled. It was going to be a great year.

"Melisa are you ok?" Hermione looked at Melisa with a confused expression on her face. Melisa nodded and Hermione gathered her toothbrush, her pajamas, and a fluffy bath towel. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed. I'll be right back." Hermione closed the bathroom door and she heard the shower running.

Melisa sat by the window and looked out at the rain pounding on the window. She played a game she always did when she felt sad or lonely and it was raining outside. She pretended that the raindrops on the window were having races. They rushed down faster and faster. She traced them with her finger and imagined that she was riding one. She smiled and felt herself getting sleepy. She got up and opened her closet to find all her clothes neatly put away.

"Wow," she whispered to herself. She pulled out a pair of her satin pajamas and started to undress. Just then Lavender and Parvati walked in through the door. They stopped in their tracks and looked at her in her underwear and pajama shirt. Melisa screamed and dived behind her bed. All of a sudden Hermione rushed out the bathroom with her hair wet and badly wrapped in a towel. She was wearing a bathrobe and her hair hung about her face in a mess. Her toothbrush was hanging out of her mouth and she was brandishing her wand. If you didn't know her, you'd think she was a psycho that just escaped the asylum.

"Whaagovringown?" She had her toothbrush still in her mouth. She ripped it out and looked at the situation. "Is something wrong?"

Melisa answered, still crouching behind the bed. "Well I was getting dressed and then these to walked in." She gestured to the girls still standing in the hallway. Hermione looked at Melisa, then to Lavender and Parvati, and then back to Melisa. She analyzed the situation and rolled her eyes.

"Melisa we aren't the only ones who live in here you know. You three get acquainted. I'm going back into the shower. Now if you don't mind please don't disturb me unless someone is trying to steal you school books! Or, you know, kill you or something," she added as an after thought. She shut the bathroom door and the girls heard the shower go back on.

"So, um, hi." Melisa pulled on her pants and sat on the bed.

"Hello," said Parvati as she and Lavender took a seat on the bed next to her. "We heard you're new to Hogwarts. "

"Yeah, we also heard that you've been to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons! So how is it there?" Lavender leaned in towards her. "Are the guys hot? Hotter than they are here? Or just mild? Is it true that boys from Durmstrang have bigger-" Parvati's hand flew to Lavender's lips before she could finish her sentence.

"Take it easy Lavender!" Parvati giggled and turned to Melisa. "Sorry about her. Once you get her started you can't turn her off. So _are_ the guys there hot?"

"Well," Melisa started, "I wasn't really concerned about guys much. I was more interested in my grades and stuff."

"Oh boy, another Hermione," the girls laughed.

"And what's wrong with that?" Hermione opened the bathroom door and stepped out fully dressed.

"Absolutely nothing." Parvati hopped off the bed and dragged Lavender with her.

"Good to have met you! See you around." They left the dormitory and went down the stairs to the common room. Melisa sighed a sigh of relief and slumped back onto the bed. Hermione took a seat next to her.

"Sorry about them. They're both boy crazy. If you need to know the school gossip though, just go to them and ask. They know who likes who in Ravenclaw and which boy said what to the best friend of whatever girl in Hufflepuff who secretly likes the brother of the Gryffindor chaser that's going out with which Slytherin boy's sister. Whatever you want, they got. Anyway we should go to bed. I'm sleepy." Hermione walked to her bed and turned off the light. "Good-night Melisa."

"Good-night Hermione. But before you fall asleep, I just wanted to let you know how glad I am that I met you guys. I mean I would have had no friend's if you guys hadn't come along. I know it sounds sappy and stuff, but I never really had a lot of friends. At Durmstrang everyone wanted to be all dark and depressed and stuff. That just wasn't who I was, or, well who I wanted to be. At Beauxbatons I couldn't understand what my friends were talking about because they spoke french. So I couldn't really hang around them much. If it weren't for you and Ron and Harry then I'd be that lonely outcast girl again. I guess I'm just trying to say thanks. For everything. That doesn't sound to dumb does it Hermione? Hermione?" Melisa sat up and looked over. Hermione was fast asleep. "Oh well," she thought to herself.

Pretty soon she started to get tired. Her eyelids were drooping. All of a sudden she was falling……...falling…..…..falling….…...

_"Quickly, dear, you must run fast!" A man, woman, and baby were running down a dark alleyway in the dead of night. The woman carrying the baby was lagging a bit, and the man was urging them on. "We have to hurry. They're after us." _

_The couple and the baby ran down alleyways, across streets, and over rooftops trying to escape the danger that lay behind them. They kept on running until they reached a loading dock. There were crates everywhere. The puddles on the ground reflected the fear in the couple's eyes. They splashed through the tiny bodies of water and finally stopped running._

_"Jack, the baby's stirring. She's about to wake up!" The woman looked worried and scared. If the baby cried they were done for. They only needed a couple more minutes. The husband took the baby and pointed his wand at her. He murmured an incantation and the baby fell back to sleep. He gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead and handed her back to her mother. A man emerged from behind a box and beckoned them forward._

_"Over here! Quickly, they are nearing!" They walked towards the man. "Now listen closely. This boot over here is a portkey. It will take you to Bulgaria, where you must live the rest of your lives in secrecy. You will be given knew names. When you reach your destination you will be picked up by one of us. They will send the signal and you will know. Do not make your true identities known to anyone or else you will be in grave danger. Now -" He was cut short by the sound of nearing voices. The color drained from his face. "They are here. Quickly into this crate!" _

_The four people crouched into a rather large crate with the portkey inside. "Now listen carefully. Jack you are now Michael Song. Rose you are now Catherine Song. And this precious little baby here must now be Melisa Song. Now grab on to this portkey. He looked at his watch. It should leave in 5...4...3..." **BANG!** The crate was blasted open and a whole bunch of people in black cloaks surrounded it. They all raised their wands, but it was too late. The couple was whisked away into a spiral of colors. The portkey had left. _

_Melisa again had that same sensation that she was falling...falling...falling..._


	3. Nighttime Wanderings and a Vacant Kiss

Melisa awoke with a start. She sat up in her bed and began to breathe heavily. So the couple in all the dreams were her parents? And the baby...their little baby girl was...her? She didn't understand. She got up out of her bed and opened her big trunk. She fished around in it until she found her journal where she kept all her dreams. She wrote this one down and locked it up again. On her way back to her bed she bumped into the water fountain. "Ow!"

"Melisa?" Hermione sat up in bed and looked over to her direction. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Hermione! Just getting a drink of water. You can go back to sleep." Hermione flopped down on her pillow. Melisa was to awake to fall asleep again for a while. Come to think of it, she was a bit hungry too. She got a drink of water and walked down to the Gryffindor Common Room. She sipped her water and took a seat on one of the big armchairs by the fire.

"So you couldn't sleep either?" Melisa dropped her water on the ground and jumped about a foot in the air. She looked over to find Harry Potter sitting in the chair right next to hers.

"I-I didn't know anyone else was down here," she stammered lamely trying to find something to say.

"So what's your excuse for being up? I couldn't sleep." Harry looked at her and waited for a response.

"Umm just a bad dream I guess. And I'm a little hungry."

"Really? Me too. We should go down to the kitchens and get a midnight snack." Melisa was silent. "I know, I'll get my map and my cloak. Stay here, I'll be right back!" Harry got up and disappeared up the stairs to the boys dormitories. Melisa sat on the chair wishing she hadn't dropped her water so she could pretend to be doing something. When Harry came back he was carrying a cloak and a blank sheet of parchment.

"Where's the map?" Melisa wondered out loud.

"It's right here. Watch. _I solemnly swear I am up to no good._" Melisa watched the parchment turn into a map.

"Wicked. Where can I get one of those?" Harry laughed at Melisa's comment.

"So you do have a bit of mischief in you after all huh? C'mon we have to go. Get under the cloak." Harry lifted up the cloak and motioned for her to get under it.

"No thank you, I'm not cold."

Harry laughed again. "Melisa it's an invisibility cloak! You didn't think we'd walk around Hogwarts in plain view did you? Now come on we have to get going." Melisa got under the cloak and they walked out the portrait together.

They walked for a while. Up and down staircases, through hallways and passageways, but never seemed to get there. "Are you sure we're going the right way?" Melisa looked quizzically over at Harry. "We've been walked around this castle for half an hour, and we seem to have gotten no where."

"The map says we should be there soon," Harry said as he glanced at it again.

"Oh you said that ten minutes ago! Let me see that map!" Melisa tried to grab the map, but Harry held it out of her reach. "Give it here," Melisa laughed. She tried to grab it, but Harry snatched it away again.

"If you want it you'll have to work for it." Harry put on a mischievous smile and backed away from her. He held the map high above his head where Melisa, being a bit shorter than him, had no hope of reaching it.

"I said give it!" Melisa lunged at him and grabbed his arm. She tried to wrench it down, but Harry's arm were muscular from Quidditch, and wouldn't budge. "Don't make me tickle you," Melisa warned with a smile.

"Oh I'm so afraid," Harry said in mock terror, "Melisa the terrible is going to _tickle_ me." Harry held the map up high and Melisa's hands flew to his arm pits. She started tickling him and he doubled over in laughter. The map however, was still in his hand.

_"Okay, that's it," _Melisa thought. She lunged at Harry and tackled him. This time the map flew out of his hands and near a suit of armor. They both rolled around the floor laughing. They slowly got up and spied the map. They took one look at each other and ran for it. Melisa dived on the floor and grabbed the map. She held it triumphantly in her hand. Harry dove right beside her, but missed and crashed into the suit of armor. The metal armor hit the wood floor with a monumental crash. Melisa and Harry both got up.

"Oh no," Melisa cried," that must've woken up the whole castle!" They brushed themselves off and looked around to see if anyone was coming. They saw a brown cat with matted fur slinking toward them. "Aw, what a nice cat," Melisa cooed. Mrs. Norris hissed at her.  
_  
_"Melisa we have got to get out of here. That's Mrs. Norris, Filtch's cat. His life's purpose is to make the lives of every student who walks through these doors miserable. I'll explain the rest later, but now we have got to get out of here!" Harry grabbed Melisa's wrist and ran with her to pick up the invisibility cloak that lay forgotten on the floor. They ducked for cover under it.

The whole time Melisa's heart was pounding. What would happen if they got caught? What if they told her mother? What would mother say? Oh, she knew what mother would say. Prowling through Hogwarts in the dead of night? Knocking over suits of armor with a boy? And not just any boy mind you, Harry Potter? Melisa couldn't bear the thought. And the rumors. What would everyone else think? That they were together? That they were doing unspeakable things in the dead of night in a Hogwarts corridor? What would Hermione and Ron think? Would they ever speak to her again? Her new friends, her only friends...

"Melisa we have to move. We can't just stand here. Follow my lead." Harry's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. They moved quickly and quietly through the corridor and next to a picture of fruit. "Tickle the pear Melisa."

"Tickle the pear? What kind of dumb thing to say it that? Look if you're trying to get me back for getting the map then make me look stupid some other way because now's not the time for--"

"Just do it!" Harry voice was stern and demanding. Melisa reached her hand up and tickled the pear, though she didn't see what good it would do besides making her look like a complete fool. The pear let out a little giggle, and the painting swung open to reveal the largest kitchen Melisa ever saw. They took off the cloak and ran up to a plate of food that had a note attached to it.

_Dear Harry Potter sir,  
Here's the food you ordered. If there's anything else you need I'll be pleased to help you. Dobby takes pleasure in helping a friend. Thanks for the new socks, but got me the wrong ones again. They match.  
-Dobby_

_"_Dobby?" Melisa gave Harry a questioning look.

"Yea Dobby's an old friend of mine. I asked him to leave some food out for us. He was more than happy to." Harry bit into a cream custard. "Well help yourself." Melisa took a piece of cherry pie and munched on it happily. Harry flicked a piece of a cookie at her. She gave him a look and continued eating her pie. He got more daring. He took a whole cookie and threw at her. It bounced off her head and landed on her pie. The front crust of the pie pressed down on the filling. The cherry filling splattered on her hair and her face. That was the last straw.

Melisa grabbed a handful of grapes and chucked them at Harry. Harry took another custard and broke it in half. The creme spilled out the sides as it sailed toward Melisa, who ducked instinctively. She grabbed a bottle of whip creme and squirted it all over Harry who soon because white as a snowman. He charged at her and wrapped her in a hug that covered her with whip creme. Melisa took the cherry pie which she had been eating, and plopped in onto Harry's head.

"There," she said, "now you're complete with a cherry on top." She laughed at the sight of Harry, and Harry laughed at the sight of her. "Here," she said, "my Mom taught me a cleaning spell." She ran her wand up and down herself as she magically because spotless. She cleaned the kitchen and then turned toward Harry. She did the same for him, and they walked out of the kitchens and back to their common room. She checked her watch. "4 am? We have class at 8!"

"We better hurry then." Harry led the way back without a single wrong turn. They whispered the password to the Fat Lady who opened swung open immediately. "Do you even think she heard what we said?" Harry wondered out loud. They took off the Invisibility Cloak and walked farther into the common room. Neither of them walked to their dormitories. They stood in the middle of the floor and waited for someone to say something. Melisa went first.

"Well I-I had, umm fun tonight." Melisa looked to the ground. She was at a loss of words...again.

"Me too."_  
_  
"Well I guess I should go then." Melisa began to walk away. Harry grabbed her hand. Her heart stopped.

"Wait. Don't go." He looked her in the eyes. He pulled her closer. He put his arm around her waist and his hand still held hers. Melisa was scared. She had never kissed a boy before. She felt like she was going to melt at any moment. She couldn't speak. Her tongue was glued to the inside of her mouth. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She couldn't do this. This was Harry Potter. The boy she hid under a cloak with. The boy she knocked a suit of armor over with. The boy she had moments ago, crowned the king of cherries and whip cream. And now the boy she was about to kiss. He closed his eyes. He was coming closer. Soon his lips would meet hers in the first kiss she has ever shared with a boy. Her stomach was doing somersaults and dancing the cha-cha. She couldn't do this. She pulled away, out of his grasp.

"Good-night Harry." Melisa backed away from him and ran up the stairs. All was silent.

"Good-night," Harry whispered as he watched her go, leaving him very confused and alone to ponder his thoughts in the middle of the deserted Gryffindor common room.


	4. Bathtubs and Paintings

"And so she goes 'good-night Harry' and leaves me there in the middle of the room feeling like an idiot." Harry was sitting next to Ron in Potions discussing the events of the night before. "I mean what did I do wrong? I thought everything was going great." Ron shrugged. Harry should have known better than to ask Ron about matters with girls. He would have better luck with the Giant Squid.

"Well maybe your breath stank or something," Ron said as he added random ingredients to the Draught of the Living Death they were supposed to be making.

"No I don't think it was that. I guess it was to soon. I mean I've only known her for a day and a half. But the moment seemed so right, you know?"

"Uh-huh," Ron said. Harry rolled his eyes. As he thought, he'd have better luck with the Giant Squid. The potion was by now supposed to be periwinkle, but Ron and Harry's was turning into a dirty green that looked more like slime than the potion they were supposed to be brewing. Ron dumped in a couple of beans he found in the store cupboard and the potion bubbled and slid down the edges of the cauldron.

"Um Ron I don't think it's supposed to look quite like that. What are you adding?" Harry looked around at everyone else's light and misty potion compared to his dark and bubbly mixture. Harry thought it looked more like the polyjuice potion they had made in 2nd year that anything he had ever seen. "Ron what are you adding," Harry asked again as the potion began to bubble violently.

Ron ducked as the potion began squirting its contents out of the cauldron. "I don't know I'm just trying to make it look like we're doing something!"

"And you fail at even that Weasley," Professor Snape said as he appeared without warning behind them. Snape took a look in their cauldron at the freakish looking thing inside of it. "You know I don't think I've ever taught two students so incompetent and-" BANG! The potion had had enough. It finally exploded and covered the entire table with the gooey substance. Unfortunately, the 'entire table' included Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and unfortunately professor Snape. "DETENTION!" Snape yelled so loud that it seemed as if the entire dungeon shook. Luckily for Harry and Ron the bell rang and they scooped up their belongings and ran out of dungeon covered in the sticky goo.

"Disgusting!" "Gross!" "Ugh, what's that awful smell?" Harry and the others dodged the comments made toward them as they marched down the corridor toward the common room. Ron was turning crimson, Seamus was looking sour, and Dean was trying to dry off the bit that got in his mouth. Harry however wasn't bothered. He had endured much worse mutterings than this. When they finally reached the Gryffindor common room the portrait swung open and they went their separate ways. Dean, Seamus, and Ron went to the showers while Harry was in the mood for a cleansing bath. Harry walked toward the prefect's bathroom for some privacy. He had some things to think over and preferred to do it in the privacy of the prefect's bathroom rather than the common showers. While he was walking he hoped and prayed the password hadn't been changed since the last time he had been there.

"Loofah," he said hopefully. He was surprised a new picture had been put there. This one was of an empty bathtub. "Loofah!" Harry said again, a bit more forceful. A Haitian girl who looked to be about 14 popped her head out of the tub. She had braids in her hair and was, as Harry thought, quite pretty.

"That's very rude you know," she said as she gave him a bit of a mischievous grin.

"You mean that's not the password?" Harry felt a twinge of disappointment. He had been in the mood for a hot bath.

"No, no, it's the password! I just think it's very rude to do what your about to do." She nodded as she spoke and her braids bounced.

"If you think it's rude to take a bath then why are you in a bathtub?" Harry was confused. The girl in the picture shrugged and smiled again.

"You'll see...," she said, and ducked back into the tub with a splash. Harry entered the bathroom. It was just as he had remembered it, except this time there was someone singing. Harry froze. There was someone here. Maybe a prefect trying to take a bath. Would they report him? Or maybe it was just a ghost come to visit.

"Myrtle is that you?" Harry thought it might have been Moaning Myrtle, the ghost that haunts the girl's toilettes. She sometimes came in here, but he had never heard her singing before. The singing got louder. Harry thought whoever it was, it was beautiful. He crept closer to the source of the song. Just then a person came around the other side of the wall where he was hiding.

It was Melisa. And she was naked. They stood there for a moment just looking at each other. Then Melisa screamed. She ran to where she had put her towel and wrapped it tightly around her body. Her eyes were as round as saucers and a bit of red crept up her tan face. She put on her slippers quick as lightning and grabbed her clothes. She ran through the painting and through the school hallway still in a towel. She's lucky, Harry thought, no one's in the corridors during free period.

Harry decided to put embarrassing moment number 1824659 out of his head for now, and concentrate on his bath. He selected a temperature and bubble bath to begin. As the tub filled up he undressed. He began walking around the bathroom looking at the photos and portraits. He stopped at the one with the mermaid and found she wasn't in it. Perhaps she had gone for a swim. All of a sudden the girl from the bathtub climbed out of the water from the picture and sat on the mermaids rocks. She was wearing a turquoise bikini and laid down to rest. Then she spotted Harry.

"Hey," she said with a wave. Harry was shocked and shut his legs together. He didn't want her so see anything no matter how pretty she might be. Plus he was angry at her.

"Why didn't you tell me she was in here? You knew it all along! With all that 'how rude' rubbish, I should have known not to trust you! How could you do something like that? Now Melisa will probably never speak to me again! Thanks a lot. I hope you're happy. How could you be so mean and rude and-" Harry stopped talking. He looked up at the picture and saw the girl crying. He hadn't meant to do that. Scold her a bit yes, but not reduce her to tears.

"I'm s-s-ssorry!! I d-didn't m-mean to d-do t-t-that! I w-was only bored!" She cried and put her head in her hands. Harry felt worse.

"Hey, don't cry. You shouldn't have done that but it's ok. I'll find some way to make it up to her." Harry felt awkward. He had never been good at comforting people.

"Your bath's done. If you don't stop it, it might overflow." She dried her eyes and giggled.

"Thanks, but why are you laughing?" Harry gave her a quizzical look. She pointed down toward his legs. Somewhere in that conversation they had become uncrossed. The girls in the picture laughed. Harry let out a yell and re-crossed them. He then jumped into the bath and hid underwater. He should have known that walking around naked never ended nicely.

After Harry had scrubbed every place he could think of and washed the nastiness out of his hair he decided to swim around the tub a bit. When he got bored of that he thought it should be about time to leave the bathroom and head back to the common room. He was just about to climb out when the side of his arm scraped his glasses.

"Ouch!" Harry let out a cry of pain as his glasses sank to the bottom of the tub. The girl in the picture laughed and lay back down to tan. Harry scowled and dived to the bottom of the pool. It was easy to spot his glasses through to clear water. He also spotted something else. It looked like a necklace laying at the bottom. Harry grabbed that too and swam back up to the surface. He looked at the clock and saw time was running out. And so, smelling like Magical Melon bubble bath and Perfectly Peach shampoo Harry put on a bathrobe and headed towards the door.

"Wait," cried the girl from the picture, "you will come back won't you? It gets awfully lonely here without anyone to talk to anything. Please say you'll come back. You're the most exciting person I've ever met!"

"Um," Harry said as he scratched his head.

"If you came back I could tell you so much stuff! Things you'd be interested in no doubt! That girl...the one who was in here before. What did you say her name was? She comes here often. She cries a lot, I noticed. And theirs much more! She even talks about you sometimes! Actually she talks about you all the time. Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that. I don't think she ever imagined that someone was listening to her. But I was. I listen to everyone who comes in here." Harry gave her a look. "Now don't think of me as a bad person, it's just that I so wish I had a friend to talk to sometimes." The girl sighed and slumped her shoulders. The clock chimed and the warning bell rang. Harry had ten minutes to be in his next class (Defense Against the Dark Arts), and he wasn't even dressed yet.

"Listen I gotta go. But if I do come back will you tell me everything?" Harry couldn't help his curiosity. He desperately needed to know if Melisa liked him or not. The girl smiled.

"Everything."

"Alright...bye." Harry gave a small wave and disappeared through the door that magically swung open for him.

"If you can't seem to find me just ask anyone for Kaitlee...they'll know." She ran through the pictures up to her own to catch up with Harry. She didn't know if he had heard her, but either way she jumped back into her bathtub with a loud splash.


End file.
